Xstraw o or strand feeding device



2 R E U Q U 0 R R A H R STRAW 0R STRAND FEEDING DEVICE.

Patented June 28,1898.

l l I l I Inventon.

Witnesses.

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2 R E I U Q U 0 R R A H STRAW 0R STRAND FEEDING DEVICE.

No. 606,619. Patented June 28,1898.

Inventor.

Witnesses.

Attorn y-S- THE, NORRIS FEYERS co. wore-urns" WASHINGTON. u. c.

UNITE STATES PATENT rrrcn.

FREDRICK E. ARROUQUIER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

S'TRAW OR STRAND FEEDING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,619, dated June 28, 1898.

I Application filed November 26,1897. Serial No. 659,755. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, FREDRICK E. Annou- QUIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county' of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Straw or Strand Feeding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a straw or strand feeding device, and has especially been designed for application to a loom for weaving straw matting, although thesame is capable of general application.

In loomsfor weaving straw matting as ordinarily constructed it is customary in the present practice to feed the straws from one or both sides of the loom by hand. This limits the speed of the loom and of course prevents the same from being entirely automatic in action. The aim of my invention is to provide a device which shall accomplish this feeding automatically.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings I have shown enough of my improved mechanism to illustrate 'the 'same, the details of the loom being 'omitted,.as the same are well understood. 1

Referring to the drawings and in detail, Figure 1 is aside elevation of my improved feeding device. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a part I term the f cradle. Figs. 3 and 4; are end elevations, on an enlarged scale, of an improved detailhereinafter referred to. Fig. 5 is a side View of the same. Fig. 6 is a rear view of the operating mechanism on an enlarged scale. Fig. 7 is an end view of my device, and Fig. 8 is a detail illustrating the manner in which the straws maybe passed into the chain or warp of the loom.

A straw or strand feeding device constructed according to my invention consists of a.

cradle which may carry a plurality of bunches of straws, sayof different colors, so that the ends of each bunch shall project beyond the end of the cradle. This cradle is preferably made'rota'ry and maybe actuated by any usual pattern mechanism, so that the cradle will be rotated to pass the straws in such order as to form the design desired. Arranged at the end of the cradle is a framework, in which is mounted a slideway which has imparted to the same a rising-and-falling motion. Fitting in this slideway is a slider which has a reciprocating motion imparted to the same. This slider carries. a part I term a selector, which comprises, in efiect, a notched or grooved piece, the bottom of the notch being only wide enough to accommodate one of the straws or rods. Mounted on the selector is a gripping'devi'ce, and suitable means are providedfor opening and closing the same. These parts are so arranged that the selector and its gripping device will move in under the projecting end of a.bunch of straws and will then rise, so that the selector will be forced into the bunch of straws. Then the gripping device will close on the straw, which is atthe bottom of the selector at a point considerably behind its end, and then the slider will move away from the bunch, pulling this particular'straw from out of the bunch and pass the same into whatever device is thereafter used to manipulate the straws or rods. buncher or stacker is preferably arranged so as to force the projecting ends of the straws down toward the selector as the selector raises up the same. Between the reciprocations of the slider the cradle is rotated, so that at the next operation the particular colored straw that is desired will be withdrawn.

Referring now to the drawings for a detailed description of the device, which now seems best to me for carrying out the broad principle of my invention, 10 represents a shaft which is j ournaled in suitable supports. Mounted on this shaft are two disks 11 11. These disks have notches out in the same, four notches being shown in the present illustrations. Connecting the notches of the disks are troughs 12, the sides of which may be made converging, as shown. Mounted upon the sides of each notch is a presser 13, which has a rod 14, on which is arranged a spring 15, the said rods projecting through brackets 16, secured to the periphery of the disks, as shown. A gaging-disk 17 is also arranged on the shaft 10. By this arrangement four bunches of straws can be placed in thisdevice, which I broadly term the cradle 0, so that the ends of the straws will project forward to the right, as shown in Fig. 1, the gaging-disk 17 being so arranged that the bunches of straws may be accurately placed in position and so that they cannot be pushed to the left.

The cradle C may be rotated by any of the usual pattern mechanisms ordinarily employed in looms, so that the various troughs will be presented in proper order, so that if ditlTerent-colored straws are placed in each trough they will be drawn forward in the manner proper to make the desired design.

18 designates a slideway which has a backward extension fitting into the slot 10, so that the slideway is capable of a rising-and-falling motion.

21 designates a slider, which is fitted in the slideway, so as to be capable of a horizontal motion. An arm 22 is connected to the slider 21, and at the end of the same is arranged a part I term the selector." This selector consists of a piece of metal which has a triangular groove or notch 21- cut in the same, the bottom of the notch being accurately cut to accommodate just one straw or red.

25 designates a pair of nippers which go to make up the gripping device. These nippers are pivoted upon a stud 26 and the lower ends of the same are drawn together by a spring 27.

An eccentric 28 is journaled in the selector, as shown, and on the forward end of the same is arranged an arm or lever 29. Two cams 30 and 31 are arranged to engage the arm .39. The cam 80 is arranged to engage the arm 2.) as the slider is at its extreme lefthand position and as it has the rising motion imparted to the same, as hereinafter described. The cam 30 is so set as to force down the arm 2.) and thus let the nippers close. The cam 31 is so arranged that as the slider moves to the right the arm 29 will run up the same and will cause the nippers to open. The slider 21 is actuated by a pitman 32, which is connected to a disk 33, which disk is mounted on a shaft (it, which shaft Smay be driven from any suitable partof the mechanism. A stud and roll are arranged on the back of the disk in position to strike a raising-arm 36, which is mounted on a stud 37, and which bears on the slideway 20, this device being so arranged that as the slider approaches its left-hand extreme the slide way and thereby the slider will be raised, and so that while the slider is on its motion to the right the slidewaywilldrop. This will cause the selector to move to the left under the projecting end of the bunch of straws and then to rise up into this end to select a particular straw.

The slideway 20 has a stud 38 projecting through the back of the frame, engaging which is a yoked end of a part I term the buncher 3.). This buncher comprises a piece of spring metal which is mounted on a stud it), this piece of spring metal being capable of considerable play. This device is so arranged that as the slideway is raised the end of the buncher is brought down on the top of the projecting end of the bunch of straws, so that the same will be held and forced down to meet the rising selector.

The operation of the device is apparent from the foregoingdescription. The selector will move in under the projecting end of the uppermost bunch of straws, will be raised into the bunch of straws, the nippers will close on that particular straw which is lowest in the selector, and the selector will then move to the right, withdrawing the particular straw. The buncher will force the end of the straws down, so that the selector can nicely operate. The selector will carry the end of the straw forward and will force the same into a tunnel 4:1, which will carry the same into the ordinary speeding-rolls, as the rubber speeding-roll t2, bearing on a grooved metal disk 43, these two rolls being rotated at a high rate of speed, so that the straw or rod will be shot into the warp or chain of the loom. The cradle is rotated between successive operations, so that the particular colored straw needed will be carried forward.

It the troughs in the cradle are arranged to carry, say, a thousand straws each, the device can be very advantageously applied to looms for weaving straw matting.

The device also can be advantageously applied to looms which are used for weaving hair cloth or any kind of slat-weaving, so called, and the device also can be applied to the feeding of rods in any kind of mechanism, and where I use the term straw or strand in my claims I mean to cover such application.

The cradle may be made to carry as many bunches of straws as desired, depending 011 the particular kind of loom to which the device is applied or on the particular kind of pattern which it is desired to weave.

Other devices besides the cams maybe employed to open and close the nippers.

The device may be applied to either or both sides of the loom, such application being of course within the understanding and province of the ordinary mechanic.

The details herein described may be greatly varied by a skilled mechanic without departing from the scope of my invention as expressed in the claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a straw or strand feeding device, the combination of feed-rolls, a carrier for a bunch of straws, a gripping device, means for moving the gripping device transversely with respect to the bunch of straws to engage a straw at a distance from its end, and means for reciprocating the gripping device substantially in line with the bunch of straws to introduce the ends of successive straws into the bite of the feed-rolls, substantially as described.

2. In a straw or strand feeding device, the combination of feed-rolls, a movable carrier 606,619 i I e or cradle for a plurality of bunches of straws, a gripping device, meansfor moving the gripping device transversely with respect to the bunches of straws to engage a straw at a dislowering the slideway, a slider carrying a grip ping device, and means for reciprocating said sllder to introduce successive straws into the bite of thefeed-rolls, substantially as described.

5. In a straw or strand feeding device, the combination of a movable carrier, or cradle for receiving a plurality of bunches of straws,

' a slideway, means for raising and lowering the slideway, a slider mounted therein and carrying a gripping device, and means for recipro- 3o eating said slider, substantially as described.

6. In a straw or strand feeding device, the

combination of feed-rolls, a carrier for a bunch of straws, a gripping'device having springpressed jaws, means for moving the gripping device transversely with respect to the bunch of straws, a stop or cam for closing the gripping-jaws into engagement with a straw, at a distance from its end, means for reciprocating the gripping device substantially in line with the bunch of straws to introduce the end of a straw into the bite of the feed-rolls, and a stop or cam for releasing the spring-pressed jaws, substantially as described.

7. In a straw or strand feeding device, the combination of feed-rolls 42 and 43, a cradle or carrier 0 for receiving a plurality of bunches of straws, a slideway 18, a slider 21 mounted therein and carrying a gripping de vice, means for reciprocating said slider, means for raising and lowering the slideway, a buncher 39, and means for moving the buncher in opposition to the movement of the slideway to hold the straws in position to be engaged by the gripping device, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDRIOK E. ARROUQUIER.

Witnesses:

LoUIs W. SOUTHGATE, FRANK J RONDEAU. 

